STEP, XML, and UML: Complementary Technologies1

Abstract

One important aspect of product lifecycle management (PLM) is the computer-sensible representation of product information. Over the past 15 years or so, several languages and technologies have emerged that vary in their emphasis and applicability for such usage. ISO 10303, informally known as the Standard for the Exchange of Product Model Data (STEP), contains the high-quality product information models needed for electronic business solutions. By using STEP, the aerospace, automotive, and shipbuilding industries are saving $150M/yr primarily in areas related to geometric modeling. However, traditional STEP-based model information is represented using languages that are unfamiliar to most application developers, thus impeding widespread usage in other areas. This paper discusses efforts underway to make STEP information models available via mechanisms familiar to more business application developers, specifically XML and the Unified Modeling Language™ (UML®). We also present a vision and roadmap for STEP integration with XML, UML, and other technologies to enable enhanced PLM interoperability. Our conclusion is that STEP, XML, and UML are complementary technologies, where STEP provides significant standardized content models, while XML and UML provide enhanced implementation methods. Together, they are a powerful force to enable pervasive digital representation and sharing of diverse technical information.

Design verification and validation in product lifecycle

“…It can be seen from Fig. 22 that STEP has a dominant position in terms of PLM data exchange and Peak et al [237] and Ming et al [238] argue that XML and UMLbased STEP are promising technologies for improving PLM interoperability. Despite all the activity in developing open standards, Gielingh [239] points out that the uptake of open standards, in general, has been very poor and that one of the major reasons is that meaning is often lost in data translation.…”

eMaintenance ontologies for data quality support

“…The international standard ISO 10303, informally known as STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product Model Data) is a family of standards defining a robust and time-tested method for describing product data throughout the life cycle of a product (Peak et al 2004). The STEP standard is designed to allow different manufacturing applications to share product data (Hardwick et al 1996).…”

“…The STEP standard is designed to allow different manufacturing applications to share product data (Hardwick et al 1996). Therefore, STEP is widely used in computer-aided design (CAD) and product data/life-cycle management (PDM/ PLM) systems (Peak et al 2004). STEP also is becoming increasingly recognized by industry as an effective means of exchanging product-related data between different CAD systems (Pratt et al 2001).…”

PLMXQuery: Towards a Standard PLM Querying Approach

“…For example, to represent STEP files in XML [13], PDML (Product Data Markup Language) is proposed [12]. Another example, PLMXML [9], is used to represent products' lifecycle related data.…”